Since returning as Celtic manager in 2023, Brendan Rodgers has made two things pretty clear about what he wants to do with the Bhoys squad.
He’s firmly stated that he wants to reduce the number of senior players on the books at Celtic after a few years of squad bloat, stating that his ideal playing group would consist of 22 or so outfield players with goalkeepers and youngsters making up the rest.
The manager has spoken about his desire to have a better relationship with the Celtic Academy, too, bringing through more youths who can enhance and provide that depth to his squad.
His comments about Rocco Vata this week suggest that it’s something he is putting into action this summer.
Rodgers planned to have Rocco Vata as a viable squad option
The Celtic boss stated that Vata was offered the opportunity to play the third striker role at Celtic before his exit to Watford. That spot was occupied by Hyeongyu Oh after Adam Idah arrived in the second half of last season.
Rather than have three senior players vying for one position, it seems Rodgers is looking to maximise his resources and have two quality options competing for a single spot – supplemented further by a youth player.
If the manager can mould the rest of the team along these lines then it would be a positive thing for Celtic.
It could ensure a better quality of player arrives instead of the club consistently shelling out fees for those making up the numbers, as well as potentially provide more opportunities for the teenagers emerging from the U18 and B teams.
It’s not feasible to pay a premium for outside talents to play a third-man role at Celtic.
This is all in theory, of course. Celtic need to start taking action to deliver on a vision such as this. That not only involves signing the right profile of talent but shifting out players who haven’t quite cut it to other teams.
In Hyeongyu Oh’s case, that process is well underway, but there is lots of work to do in both directions across all areas of the team.
So far the transfer window has been underwhelming but if this is the kind of outlook Rodgers is taking, it should serve Celtic well in the long-term.
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